Chapter 658 Invitation


    Generally speaking, Duanmuhuai rarely builds branches of the Tribunal in other areas. Most of the time, he will only help others solve their problems, and then leave, leaving at most one icon of the Tribunal to collect. The believer is done. Like the branch in Tianji Province, Duanmuhuai is basically free-range. As long as they do not violate the express regulations of the Tribunal, nothing else matters.


    But not Faer?n.


    Now that it has been confirmed that the scale of corruption has begun to invade Faerun, Duanmuhuai naturally cannot just be left alone. Faerun may become the first battlefield where the Tribunal will once again come into contact with the evil god. Therefore, Duanmuhuai naturally cannot be like the others. The planet is like that, it’s just as simple as stocking it.


    “Is it so dangerous?”


    ?Listening to Duanmu Huai’s explanation of why he wanted to establish a branch in this world, An and Gu Leiya were also shocked.


    “Of course, do you still remember the world where you first traveled with me? It was polluted by the evil god—but the pollution level in that world was relatively low.”


    “Huh? Does that mean that the same situation will happen in this world?”


    "That''s right, and since the evil gods have appeared in this world, you need to be careful next. They may weaken the reality barrier again and then attack in a big way...Mary, are you listening to me?"


    He glanced helplessly at Mary beside him, and Duanmuhuai complained.


    ?Well, of course Mary can''t hear it at this moment.


    I saw her walking beside Duanmu Huai with bright eyes at the moment, looking at the various races on the road with an excited look on her face.


    "Those are elves, they actually have long ears! There are also dwarves, their beards are really long! Ah, are those lizard people over there? I didn''t expect that there are actually lizard people... Huh? Isn''t that just a legend? He must be an orc, so tall..."


    ?At this moment, Mary was writing excitedly in her notebook, looking very excited... Well, how should I put it, it''s understandable. For a girl who likes to watch fantasy and legendary stories about magic and dragons, it must be like a dream to suddenly come to such a world.


    “Hmm… I wonder if I can see the prince and princess…”


    “Aren’t we princesses too?”


    Hearing this, An laughed and complained, while Mary lowered her head in embarrassment.


    “Ah, sorry, that’s not what I meant, I meant...that...like the one in the book..."


    “Well, it’s not incomprehensible.”


    ?Although Mary''s answer was a bit hesitant, Duanmuhuai still understood what she wanted to say. Although Ann and Gulea are princesses, strictly speaking, Manalia''s clothing style is actually very modern. White shirts, bow ties, ribbon skirts, etc., at first glance, they are no different from modern people.


    The princess in the storybook that Mary read must be the kind with blond hair, a crown, and a dress... Well, I don''t know if there is one in this world.


    Speaking of which, the princess should not wear a crown, is she a queen?


    As he spoke, the group of people also arrived at the city gate - this time Duanmuhuai naturally brought them to Waterdeep City. After all, they were used to it, and they had not been to Baldur''s Gate before.


    ?However, just when they reached the city gate, Duanmu Huai and others were stopped by the guards again.


    "Why………"


    Looking at this scene, An spread her hands helplessly.


    “It’s like this every time I act with Mr. Knight.”


    “Hmm…after all, Mr. Knight’s outfit is too…”


    ??Gu Leya also answered carefully, of course, everyone understands.


    However, to everyone''s surprise, although the guards were very serious when facing Duanmu Huai, they did not look like they were facing an enemy. On the contrary, they looked at Duanmu Huai carefully, and then the leading guard stepped forward. , and bowed to him respectfully.


    “Sorry to disturb you, are you Mr. Duan Muhuai, the Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition?”


    “I’m right.”


    “This……do you have anything to prove?”


    "No."


    Duanmu Huai snorted, joking, can I still show you your ID card here?


    ?Hearing Duanmuhuai''s answer, the guard was stunned for a moment, and then he seemed to think of something.


    "Then... could you please take off your helmet so I can identify it?"


    ……………what you ask for.”


    ?Duanmuhuai shrugged his shoulders and then took off his helmet.


    ————!!”


    ?At almost the same time, several guards facing Duanmuhuai trembled in fright and backed away. The citizens walking towards the city gate on the other side screamed loudly after seeing Duanmuhuai. Several young girls rolled their eyes and fainted. Others also screamed and turned around as if they had seen a monster attacking the city. Just run.


    “Oh... I haven’t seen this scene for a long time...”


    ?Looking at this familiar and nostalgic scene, An also smiled, while Mary stared blankly at the messy city gate in front of her... Well, it seems that this is indeed the case.


    “Any more questions?”


    Duanmu Huai put on his helmet and asked. Different from before, the soldiers on the city wall were already in full formation, drawing their bows and strings. Even the ballistas had changed their direction and were aiming at Duanmu Huai''s body. It was as if the person standing in front of them was not a person, but a terrifying Balor Balrog.


    “Ah...sorry, no more.”


    At this moment, the guard also came to his senses and hurriedly bowed respectfully to him.


    "I''m sorry, it has been confirmed. It is indeed you. In fact, Master Kelben once left a message. If you come to Waterdeep again, please go to the Blackstaff Tower to talk to him."


    "Kelben...oh..."


    Hearing this name, Duanmu Huai was stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that it was the mage that Emilia had spoken about before going to the Underdark. The antidote he prepared had lifted the plague in Neverwinter City. In return, he hoped that Ai Melia and the others were able to travel to the Underdark to find his missing nephew.


    ?Hmm... I don’t know if Emilia and the others are back.


    Duanmuhuai and Amelia didn’t have any communication devices, so naturally they didn’t know the other’s whereabouts. Logically speaking, Duanmuhuai felt that they should be able to come back. After all, the illithids in that area were killed by him, and the drow were directly exterminated by him. Although the gray dwarves are insidious and cunning, they are not impossible to defeat as long as they work hard.


    ??The only problem lies in the tunnels extending in all directions in the Underdark and the dangerous underground creatures hidden in them... Well, then they can only ask for their own blessings.


    I hope that Tyr can give some strength to protect his followers.


    After all, there is a true God in this world.


    In fact, Duanmu Huai was not interested in chatting with Kelben, but it didn''t matter, so he nodded and motioned to the guards to lead the way, and then the group walked into Waterdeep City.


    There are many magnificent buildings in Waterdeep worth boasting, but few places have become as central to legends as the Blackstaff Tower. As the residence of the Archmage Khelben Blackstaff Orosan, the tower has received many visitors. princes, nobles and adventurers, but from the appearance, this tower is far less dazzling than its reputation - the smooth stone cylinder makes it look like a chimney, without windows or doors, but this It was just a cover-up. In fact, when the guards brought them to the Black Stick Tower, a door appeared out of thin air on the wall that was originally empty, and then slowly opened.


    “Let’s go.”


    Duanmu Huai said to everyone - An, Gu Leiya and Mary followed him. Ogis and Qiaowei sat on Duanmu Huai''s left and right shoulders respectively. From the current point of view, this has become their long-term exclusive seat. trend.


    ??The interior of the Black Stick Tower is much larger than it looks from the outside. Duanmuhuai walked into the door and came to a circular space. Then the floor under their feet shook and they flew up silently. Looking at this scene, An and Gu Leiya were both calm. Only Mary looked around excitedly.


    “We are going to see a great mage next? So, is he very powerful and can turn people into animals?”


    “Why are you so obsessed with this...”


    Hearing Mary''s emotion, Gu Leya sighed helplessly. After Mary learned that Ann and Gu Leya were both spell casters, she also curiously asked them if they had similar abilities... Well, they were still Not really.


    “Because it’s fun?”


    "Hahaha, it''s really interesting." At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded. Everyone looked up and saw that the floating saucer carrying them passed through a magic barrier, and then the next moment, a light flashed in front of everyone''s eyes. , the next moment they came to a reception room that looked gorgeous and comfortable, and a man in a cassock was standing there with his hands behind his back and watching them with a smile.


    ?That is Kelben Blackstaff, one of the masked lords of Waterdeep, a chosen one of Mystra and a rare archmage in the world.


    “Hello, Master Kelben.”


    Duanmu Huai nodded to Kelben as a salute, and the girls also kneeled down one after another. Although they did not know the daily life of the great mage like Duanmu Huai did, the three of them were all well-educated ladies. Of course I won''t make a fool of myself on such an occasion.


    As for Ogis and Qiwei, they completely ignored Kelben.


    For them, they don’t need to care about anyone except their master.


    “Hello, guest from the Inquisition.”


    ?Kelben raised his hand, and then he saw several soft and comfortable chairs appear on the floor, and a table also appeared. The teapot and teacup automatically flew in front of everyone and poured them a cup of tea. Seeing this scene, Mary became more and more curious. She looked at the tea set in front of her carefully before reaching out to take it. Duanmu Huai just glanced at it, then waved his hand, and then the cup of tea in front of him flew directly to the table and landed steadily.


    "I don''t think you came here just to drink tea with me, Master Kelben. After all, I''m not familiar with you."


    Duanmu Huai was quite polite to Kelben, especially after the other party showed the power to cure the plague of corruption. Magic is a magical power. Duanmu Huai does not expect to understand it, as if he has never understood it. I don’t expect to become a mathematician. This kind of thing... I’d better let those geniuses do it.


    “I am very interested in you, Your Majesty the Inquisitor.”


    ?Kelben showed a smile, looked at Duanmuhuai carefully, and then sat on the chair opposite him.


    "Especially because your behavior is so shocking...to completely kill a god. This kind of thing has almost never happened again after the Year of Turmoil. Now everyone is discussing and speculating about who did it. Such a move."


    Hearing this, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows.


    “It seems that the gods are also busy and spread gossip faster than the aunts on the street.”


    "hehe………"


    Facing Duanmuhuai’s sarcasm, Kelben chuckled. In fact, what he said was not wrong. On the night of Rose’s death, many gods used various forms to inform their believers of the demise of this evil goddess. Of course, as the chosen one of Mystra, Kelben also learned the news from his goddess, but the attitude of the gods towards this news was also very divided.


    The gods of the evil camp do not care about Rose''s life or death, but they are eager to find out the truth. After all, Rose is one of the evil gods with powerful divine power. She was killed in her own domain, and even her soul was annihilated without a trace. This This kind of thing can be said to be unprecedented.


    On the other hand, since the other party can kill Rose, they can also kill them. Therefore, the dark gods mobilized their forces and began to search.


    On the other hand, the gods of the good camp are also very complicated about this result...well, actually.


    After all, Rose was once the Queen of Elf before she fell. Corellon expressed a very complicated blessing to the news, such as "May her cursed soul rest in peace." As for whether he sincerely expressed his sincere gratitude to this person who betrayed him. Only Corellon knew what his wife thought.


    Eilistraee seems to be looking for her mother''s murderer, but considering the history of love and murder between her and Rose, it''s hard to tell whether Eilistraee intends to thank her or avenge her mother''s murder.


    As an ally of Eilistraee, Mystra has been helping the Dark Maiden fight against the Spider Queen, so after she learned that Rose had indeed been completely destroyed, she asked her followers to help with the investigation.


    ?Of course, what Kelben didn’t know was that among the gods, there was actually full of doubts about Rose’s fall.


    Generally speaking, fights between gods are not uncommon, and there are endless cases of killing gods, but actually killing gods is actually very rare. Because generally speaking, the true God is immortal. If you cut him down, he might be resurrected again in the future.


    ?For example, during the Dark War, the dark girl Eilistraee chopped her brother and then died herself. As a result, the latter two were resurrected and reconciled.


    But the death of Rose is completely different from this. The divine realm collapsed, all believers were destroyed, and the tragic scene of their death was very horrifying. Almost all Rose believers seemed to have encountered some kind of indescribable and unspeakable fear before they died. , their souls were completely distorted, polluted, and then completely dissipated into the air.


    You must know that strictly speaking, this is impossible. The gods still have the ability to control the soul. However, they can''t even find a surviving soul. It seems that as long as everything with Rose has been destroyed, Same... In this situation, even the gods from the good camp can''t help but feel cold in their hearts.


    After all, no one can guarantee that the one who kills Rose must be a good god. It is simply normal for demon lords to stab each other in the back.


    Furthermore, this will not happen if gods usually kill each other. Generally speaking, killing a **** means at best devouring and inheriting its godhead and domain. For example, after Cyric killed the former **** of death, Kelemvor, he inherited his priesthood and the Kingdom of the Dead. In the Kingdom of the Dead, most of Kelemvor''s original believers changed their beliefs and believed in Cyric directly.


    So logically speaking, whoever kills Rose should inherit her priesthood and the faith of the drow. The most they can do is appear on the spot and tell the other drow, "Your former boss has been fired. Now I have the final say on this territory.”


    ??Like this, the divine realm collapsed, the divine fire was extinguished, the priesthood was destroyed, and all believers died... Which **** would not be afraid after seeing this!


    Kelben didn''t know about the turmoil among the gods, but after he received Mystra''s oracle, he immediately thought of the news from his nephew from the Dark Territory - they met a man below who claimed to be completely An organization that destroys the drow and their guardian spirits because they pose a threat to humans.


    Inquisition.


    Of course, Kelben didn''t think it was Duanmuhuai''s doing. He was more inclined to believe that the Tribunal was actually an organization that believed in some god. However, Kelben couldn''t figure out what kind of **** would do such a thing.


    After the trial court returned, Kelben also carefully asked Emilia, and Emilia also answered Kelbourne, but ............


    “Miss Emilia and the others have returned to Waterdeep City safely, and thank you my nephew is also back.”


    “Oh? That’s good news.”


    Duanmuhuai was completely unmoved, while Kelben held the tea cup and stared at Duanmuhuai''s helmet.


    "In fact, out of curiosity, I once asked Miss Emilia about the situation of the Tribunal. I have to say that your dogma is really... unexpected. After all, we are an organization that only protects humans. But I haven’t heard much about it.”


    “Oh, now you know.”


    Duanmuhuai sat lazily on the chair, looking like he was in a state of indifference.


    “By the way, the Inquisition neither cares nor cares about the life and death of races other than humans.”


    “Ah, but our Inquisition’s definition of human beings is still very clear.”


    Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit stiff, An hurriedly spoke.


    “Oh? Is that so?”


    “Yes, according to the rules of the Inquisition, as long as the skull is not mutated, it will be regarded as a human being, so... I don’t think we need to worry about this problem, right?”


    “Skull?”


    ?Hearing An''s explanation, Kelben became more and more surprised. He carefully looked at the skull mark on Duanmuhuai''s power armor, and then looked away.


    "This is really... surprising. Can I ask why a skull is used as a symbol?"


    “It’s very simple.”


    Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows.


    "For the Inquisition, the skull represents the purity of human beings, which means that the person has not been corrupted or degenerated by chaos and evil until death. It represents the purity and noble sacrifice of human beings. Demons can be ever-changing, but the only thing they cannot What you have is the human skull, and no matter how they change it, they can’t imitate the shape of the human skull.”


    “This is really…”


    It has to be said that Kelben was quite surprised when he heard Duanmu Huai''s answer, but he felt relieved at the moment. It was obvious that judging from the signs of the Inquisition to classify humans, elves, dwarves and halflings Kind-like races are also considered human beings.


    ?Of course, on the other hand, like orcs, giants, etc... um... but that doesn''t seem to be any of my business.


    “Speaking of which, I have something to ask Master Kelben for help.”


    Duanmu Huai didn’t bother to say anything and went straight to the point.


    "Speaking."


    “The Inquisition wants to find a place to open its doors on this continent. I wonder if Master Kelben can recommend a good place?”


    Then, Duanmuhuai stared at Kelben and spoke his request lightly.


    (End of this chapter)